Man had always been inquisitive and asked who God is, what
His attributes are and how He relates to man, etc. All those who
stoutly pursued seeking God concluded that finite human wisdom
is incapable to fathom the infinite God and that one can
understand God only to the extend God Himself revealed to him.
Inspired Word of God is not by itself revelation but true guide
to revelation, which is Jesus Christ.

God spoke to Moses in the
burning yet not consumed bush in the Mount Horeb. God initiated
a dialogue saying, 'I am the God of thy father, the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,' Ex 3:6. Then God conveyed him His
determination to deliver Israelites from Egyptian bondage and
commissioned Moses with the task. Moses was unwilling because of
his fear and difficulty to talk fluently. God remedied his
frailty.

Then Moses inquired of the name of God. God said, 'I am
who I am, you shall say to children of Israel, I AM has sent me
to you,' Ex 3:14. The 'I AM' God further clarified His name as
'YAHVEH.' Yahweh (Jehovah in English) stands for, 'One who
brings into being whatever comes into being.' Thus Jehovah is
the creator of all visible and invisible beings. The Septuagint
version says, 'He who is.' 'Yahweh' derived from the root Hebrew
word 'Haya,' that means 'which exists', or 'which works.' Thus
Yahweh is the God who exists or God who is at work.

However, one cannot but perceive astounding expression of awesome nature of
God in the very statement. God is always referred to in present
tense. Immutable quality of God is that God is self-existent and
eternal. The name, in Hebrew tradition, stands not only as
positive identity of person but also it reveals the nature and
character of the person. Thus the creator, self-existent and
eternal God is inaccessible to human wisdom. He conveys not
intimately or personally but through angels, prophets, dreams or
visions, etc. These characteristics of God are peculiar to
'Elohim' tradition.

Jehovah is understood as a personal being on the basis of
personal relationship such as 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'
He created man with His own hands, Gen 2:7. He walked in the
garden of Eden, v 3:8, shut the door of the arc with His hands,
v 7:16, smelt Noah's sacrifice, v 8:21, came down to see the
tower, v 11:5-7, repented and grieved in heart for creating man,
v 6:6, etc. These profound thoughts about God are found in
Yahwite tradition. 'Yahweh,' as 'God of the fathers' was
revealed to Moses for the first time in response to Moses'
question. Genesis 32:24-29 gives a parallel, involving God's
name in Jacob's struggle with a stranger. Angel asked Jacob's
name and he said. The angel changed his name as 'Yisra-el' which
means, 'May God rule.' Jacob inquired of angel's name but he did
not reveal instead, blessed him. Jacob however understood who He
was, verse 30. God was held in such awesomeness that one could
not see God face to face without facing death. God disguised
here as angel for this reason. Genesis 4:26 states that worship
in the name of Yahweh began with Enos the son of Seth. Enos was
born in 3769 BC or was 235 years younger to Adam. Moses received
call in Mount Sinai in 1491 (dates according to Scofield Bible).
So probably God's name as Yahweh was familiar to people at least
2250 years before Moses. Moses was aware of prevailing worship
in the name of Jehovah from the time of Enos' This dialogue
between 'Yahweh' and Moses regarding name of God might be
affirmation of an oral tradition.

Later Jehovah revealed Himself in diverse manners and in
part to prophets, Heb 1:1. They called Him, Mighty God, Lord of
Hosts, etc and aggrandized the awesome nature of God. Jews were
afraid, rather forbidden to pronounce the name, Yahweh. This
approach enabled only to augment gap between man and God.
Redemption of humanity, which was planned before the creations,
was impossible because humanity could neither fully reconcile
nor approach God in their fallen state. Acts of sacrifice
prescribed in the Old Testament was imperfect and insufficient
to attain complete propitiation. Human condition of sin and
guilt overwhelmed the efficacy of Levite sacrifice for; it was
impossible for a sinful to atone for other's sin.

So in the fullness of time God was pleased to take
initiative and reveal Himself fully, finally and perfectly in
the person of Jesus Christ. He, the incarnate Word, has all
attributes of Jehovah. In and through Him God is known more
intimately and personally. 'I AM' statements by Jesus Christ are
the authentic explanations of who Jehovah was and is, which
mystery was unrevealed till then. The 'I AM' statement found
seven times symbolizes fullness. It is the sum of 3 for trinity
that is complete Godhead and 4 for the Four Corners of earth
that is fullness of creation, thus complete and perfect.

Bread of life:

The word, 'Bread' generally denotes the
staple food, the basic necessity for sustenance of life. Thus
the staple food of all animate beings, both plant and animal
kingdom is bread and has special reference to human consumption.
By claiming Jesus, as bread He implied that without Him one
could not sustain life rather, He was indispensable for the
human life. He is not simply bread but bread of life; the true
bread, the living bread, the heavenly bread and thus expounded
its eternal dimension. He is necessary not only for life in this
world but also for life eternal. Luke's saying of eating bread
in the kingdom of God indicates messianic banquet, 14:15.

Background:

Apostle John stands alone to present a very
detailed discussion about the bread of life in chapter 6. Jesus
is introduced as bread of life followed by the miracle of
feeding the 5000. Bread of life is that which has life and which
gives life. After feeding the 5000 Jesus and the disciples went
to Capernaum and people hurriedly followed Him. Perceiving
people's misguided enthusiasm; Jesus drew their attention to
more serious and meaningful aspects. Man is, as always now also,
more concerned about physical and material well being rather
than spiritual wellness. He worries more about how to eat
better, how to make more wealth, how to enjoy more luxuries and
how to enhance prestige among kindred, etc, all for the present
life. Spiritual enrichment, eternal life and matters of faith
are often sidelined or even neglected.

Jesus highlighted their inner longing for perishable food
admonishing them labor not for perishable food but for food that
gives eternal life, which He promised He would give them. People
contented that Moses gave them Manna in the desert. He corrected
their notion saying, His Father in heaven, not Moses, gave Manna
in the wilderness. Manna was not capable of giving eternal life
for, those who ate it, died. The talk of heavenly bread elated
the people but they could not properly understand. People at
this stage were no doubt spellbound and all of them craved for
it, v 34. Jesus Christ further expounded that He was the real
bread that came down from heaven. People got confused as to how
one can eat His human flesh. Jesus asserted that His flesh is
real bread and His blood is real drink and unless one eats of
His flesh and drinks of His blood one has no life. He would
abide in him who eats His flesh and drink His blood; He will
raise him on the Last day, v 41. People could not digest the
idea of Jesus being the bread for they saw him only as the son
of Mary. But Jesus persisted further more vehemently reiterating
that unless one eats His flesh and drinks His blood one will not
have eternal life. It was hard saying for the multitude and
they, except the twelve, took it as blasphemy and in utter
disbelief deserted Him, v 66. As it was then for the multitude,
indeed it is difficult now also for natural man to understand it.

Old Testament Shadows:

Tree of life, Manna, Showbread,
Passover Lamb, etc are shadows depicted in the Old Testament
vividly describing Jesus Christ as bread of life.

(1) Tree of life was planted adjacent to the tree of
knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Man acquired from undesired
source faculty of knowing good and evil as a result of eating of
the tree of knowledge. Initial problem with man was not
acquiring knowledge but the source and means of acquiring it.
God cast out Adam and Eve from the garden lest they would pluck
the fruit of the tree of life, eat of it and live forever.
Cherubim and flaming sword were deployed around the tree of life
to guard it. By offering His body as bread of life Jesus was
offering eternal life that man so fondly cherished but could not
attain due to arrogance. After Holy Baptism while giving the
Holy Eucharist to the baptized we sing thus, 'Pheero dlo thaame
Odom bpardaiso yawmono bphoomok ethseem bhaadooso,' which means,
'I place today in your mouth the fruit that which Adam could not
taste in Paradise.' We sing while giving Holy Eucharist on the
day of Passover feast, 'He (Jesus) is the fruit of the tree of
life which Adam could not taste in the Garden of Eden.'

(2) Manna is described in Exodus 16:12-35. Israelites
during their sojourn in the desert to the Promised Land of
Canaan were fed with manna. Sojourn of Israelites typifies our
life in this world, which is sojourn to heavenly abode to be
with the Lord forever. Moses advised them to keep the vessel of
Manna in the ark of covenant as memorial, Ex 16:33. It was
Christ's shadow, Heb 9:4. Jesus Christ is hidden manna, Rev
2:17. We need nourishment of manna that is heavenly food to
reach our heavenly abode. Jesus related Himself to manna and
said a remarkable difference that Manna was for immediate
physical sustenance of body and not for eternal life. Jesus
Christ, the bread that has come from heaven shall assure eternal
life.

(3) Showbread is also known as bread of presence, that is
it symbolized God's presence in their midst, Ex 25:30. It was
also called, 'Holy bread'. It was set forth in two rows of 6
each, Lev 24:5-9. Fresh bread is to be set on every Sabbath.
Priests should eat the previous loaves. The bread was holy and
lay-people were forbidden to eat it. David however is an
exception. David and his men fled to Achish and on his way,
being weary approached Ahimelech, the priest and requested for
food. Ahimelech had nothing but the holly bread, which was
replaced a little before with hot bread. Ahimelech expressed his
willingness to offer it to them provided they abstained from
women for three days. David confessed three days' abstinence and
Ahimelech gave the showbread. David and his men ate it. Jesus
quoted this incident to counter Pharisees' allegation that
disciples broke the Sabbath by plucking the corn-ear and ate it,
Mat 12:3-4. Mark adds, 'In the days of Abiathar,' 2:26 which
might be memory error. Ahimelech was the priest who actually
supplied the bread to David during his flight from Saul.
Abiathar was Ahimelech's son who served as priest during the
reign of David that was at a very later date. Bread was symbolic
of food offering. It represented God's presence and thus
forerunner of Christ.

(4) Passover Lamb and 'Lord's supper.' Passover festival
was memorial of Israelites' deliverance from the Egyptian
bondage. Passover was celebrated with unleavened bread. They
should eat it standing and dressed up as if for a journey to
remind the haste of Israelites to flee from Egypt. The blood of
the lamb smeared on the doorposts and lintels saved the
firstborns of Israelites from the angel who slew all the
firstborns of Egyptians, Ex 12. Even so the blood of Jesus
Christ cleanses our sins, saves us and enables us to pass from
death to eternal life. John the Baptist said, 'Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world,' Jn 1:29. Jesus is our Passover
lamb, 1 Cor 5:7 and Rev 5:12. Passover festival was observed for
a week. On the first day of Passover the lamb was ceremoniously
killed and eaten in the evening of the same day. Lamb is the
principal ingredient of Passover feast and its absence is
conspicuous in the Lord's Supper. This indicates that Jesus
substituted for the Passover lamb.

Jesus Christ instituted, putting an end to all animal
sacrifice prescribed in the Law of Moses, the Holy Eucharist
after formal observance of the Passover feast which is evident
from Luke's explanation of two cups in verse 22:15 and 17.
Jesus' promise that He will give food, which endures everlasting
life for, God the Father has set His seal on Him, John 6:27 is
thus fulfilled. The theme of the institution of Lord's Supper is
found in all Gospels with variant details. Synoptic Gospels
indicate that Jesus ate the Passover at the same time as other
Jews did. But according to John, who was widely accepted during
first century and more accurate, Jesus instituted the Holy
Eucharist a day before the Mosaic Passover and Jesus died on the
Cross at the same time as the Passover lamb was slain in the
temple for the whole nation of Israel.

Two types of bread

1, Leaven: Israelites used both leavened bread (Lah'mo) and

2, unleavened bread (Patheero).

Leavened bread was more in common use. Leaven or fermentation
symbolizes life and abundant growth. Jesus compared leaven to
the kingdom of heaven that a woman hid it in three measures of
meal, etc Mat 13:33. A bit of leaven due to its catalytic effect
makes the whole dough soft and rise. It signifies the humble
beginning and yet drastic progress of Gospel. Jesus here points
that a small number of disciples would bring about immeasurable
growth for gospel. Jesus used leaven as a positive symbol of
active presence and power of God.

Leaven is compared to undesirable hypocritical false
doctrines of Pharisees and Sadducees, Mat 16:6, Gal 5:9. It is
an agent of corruption. Apostle says that scandalous behavior
has also the effect of leaven and faithful ought to refrain from
such habits. Israelites were advised to remove leftover leaven
and prepare the Passover with fresh dough (unleavened) to
signify that they do not carry any bitter and disdainful residue
from Egypt. So even, St Paul advised to remove old leaven that
was scandalous and scornful behavior and replace love instead, 1Cor 5:6.

Tradition:

Using leavened bread for the Holy Eucharist is
first and the oldest apostolic practice handed down to us. By no
means, at least on the apostle's standpoint, Last Supper was
under normal psychological circumstances, but was special in
many ways. At the time of 'Last Supper' in the upper chamber of
the house of St Mark and his mother Mary, Jesus turned unusually
sentimental, imparted very important and most emotionally
charged parting lessons to the apostles. Although all gospels
invariably cover the incident St John alone gives detailed
account such as washing the feet of the disciples, commandment
of love, foretelling about Judas' betrayal, Peter's denial, his
impending arrest, trial, sufferings, departing, agony and
vicariate prayer in the garden of Gethsemene, etc. He said he
would not taste fruit of vine until the day when they came
together in His Father's Kingdom, Mat 26:29. Disciples were in
utter dismay, exceedingly grief-stricken and unhappy as they
heard all the unusual matters that shattered all their hopes,
Mat 26:22. They were all these days anticipating a valorous
Messiah who would deliver them from the Roman yoke.

Apostle
Peter kept a portion of the leaven from which they made Last
Supper; probably he had an intuition, so as to mix it with the
dough for the next supper to bring home memory of the Last
Supper with the Lord. According to Chaldean-Syrian tradition, I
do not repudiate credence; Jesus gave a portion of the dough to
Apostle John with instruction to add it as leaven in the future
preparations. This leaven has thus a sentimental value and
apostles so passionately continued that tradition and we
continue it until now. A priest receives leaven from his teacher
(Malpono) or from a senior priest of the same discipline. The
whole Christendom used only leavened bread for the Eucharist for
ten centuries. So the leaven we use today, it is believed, has
an unbroken continuity traceable right from apostles. Oriental
Orthodox family kept up this unbroken tradition of using
leavened bread freshly baked for every Holy Eucharist. Roman
church departed from this noble tradition after 10th century.
Armenian Orthodox Church is the only member in the Oriental
family that does not use leaven and that too after 10th century.
Whether or not they are yet Orthodox I consider it a deviation
from orthodoxy.

(5) Melchisedec, the type of Christ, offered bread and
wine:

Bread and wine offering of Melchisedec is interpreted as
the forerunner or shadow of New Testament Eucharist. Melchisedec
is first seen in Genesis 14. When Abraham returned with booty
after the expedition against four kings, Melchisedec greeted,
blessed and offered him bread and wine. St. Paul says, he was
the priest of the Most High God. The first question is, if the
bread and wine offered to Abraham had any sacramental value? I
think not. But at the same time without error it can be assumed
that usual sacrificial elements of Melchisedec were bread and
wine. For this reason the venerable fathers of the Church set
apart the first Thooyobo Kramam of the Holy Qurbono in honor of
Melchisedec, 'M'seeho d'kaabel kurboneh d'Melchisedec kumaro
dakyo. Kaabel morio zlooz d'abdok v'haaso hawbo d'mare-eetho,'
which means, 'Oh Christ who accepted the offering of holy
high-priest Melchisedec forgive the trespasses of the church
accepting your servant's prayer.' The prayer is not referring in
particular to the offer made to Abraham but rather it emphasizes
Melchisedec's sacrificial elements were since Bread and Wine, a
deviation from the days' popular mundane practice of animal
offering, was forerunner to present Holy Eucharist.

Next question is whether Melchisedec was higher than
Abraham was? 'The lesser is blessed by the better,' Heb 7: 7.
Firstly, Melchisedec was the King of Salem and Abraham was
chosen friend of God. So this is a good example of mutual
respect by two godly individuals. Secondly he was the priest of
the Most High God. Priest is the one who stands in God's stead
and pleads for people. Abraham definitely acknowledged the
spiritual authority and superiority of Melchisedec by giving
tithe. Melchisedec in turn accepted as deserving the tithe and
blessed Abraham and thus evidently Melchisedec was higher than
Abraham was by all means. However, the inference is that
priesthood of Melchisedec is much older and higher than that of
Levy who was the great grand son of Abraham. Jesus Christ was by
descent from Judah not from Levy and so he cannot be a priest
because Aaronite priesthood was confined only to Levy tribe. In
other words, Jesus Christ's priesthood was according to the
order of Melchisedec and totally unrelated to Levites and hence
higher and older.

Lord's Prayer refers to bread of life.

Jesus taught his
disciples about the need to yearn for the bread of life. Lord's
Prayer says, 'Hablan lahmo d'sunkonan yawmono,' which means,
'Give us this day our bread' (or bread that is needed). Some
translations render, 'daily bread.' This, though not an error,
is misleading because usually one thinks that it is about the
food material that one needs for everyday sustenance. No doubt,
our good Lord cares about our physical wellness and knows that
food is necessary for us. But He cautioned not to worry too much
about the food that would perish and admonished to labor for the
food that would give eternal life. Thus there are two types of
bread. Lord must have intended both physical and eternal when he
said, 'Give us this day our bread' and yet most certainly He was
more concerned about daily spiritual nourishment and eternal
life and hence the word 'Lahmo' or living bread is very
conspicuous and apt. Greek equivalent for 'daily' is
'epiousios.' It means something 'above the essence or
super-substantial.' Thus it indicates not merely bread for
sustenance of physical life but the bread that would assure
eternal life in the Kingdom of God, which is Jesus Christ
Himself.

The name:

It has many names. 'Breaking of bread' and 'The
Lord's Supper' are the terms used for Eucharist in the Bible.
Lord commanded to do it in His remembrance and so the apostles
were very eager to do it as often as they could. In other words,
one of the basic purposes of their assemblage was to 'break the
bread.' Concept about 'bread of life' culminated in the
establishment of Holy Eucharist. 'Eucharist' means thanksgiving.
Mor Ignatius Noorono of Antioch first employed this term, then
it appeared in 'Didache' (the advise of the twelve apostles to
the Gentiles) and then it came to be widely used because Jesus
gave thanks to God, the Father at the Last supper, Mat 26:27, 1
Cor 11:24. Certain congregational factions confuse it with Agape
meal, which was held immediately before the 'breaking of
bread,'1 Cor 11:20. Agape meal became extinct as corruption
crept in as also due to practical reasons, in due course of
time. Present 'Burksa' is symbolic reminiscence of agape in
ancient times. Again, Agape was full-fledged meal and commonly
shared without formal liturgy. Probably the name 'Holy
Communion' (Koinonia), widely used in western churches, is
derived from Agape meal.

'Anaphora' is another name for Eucharist in Greek, which
means 'offering.' New Testament Anaphora is the pinnacle
culmination of the Levite offerings. Clement of Rome was the
first Apostolic Father to designate the title, 'Offering'. Bread
and wine we offer in the liturgy represents the fruit of our
labor. In fact the faithful offer themselves wholeheartedly in
purity to the will of God. Thus the priest's prayer during
preparation (Tooyobo), 'Grand us in meaningful service, to offer
ourselves to Thee a living and acceptable sacrifice, well
pleasing to thee' and become Thy clean and spotless sheep' is
intensely personal, sublime and meaningful. In Syriac it is,
'Koorobo' derived from 'Kareb' that means to come near, touch,
etc. God comes to humanity and humanity touches God in the
Eucharist and hence Koorobo, is very apt.

It is also called
'sacrifice', another name for offering. Sacrifice should not be
construed as a repetition of 'the once and for all sacrifice'
that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross for the atonement of
the sin of the whole world and of all ages but as partaking in
reality the great redemption that Jesus Christ achieved for us.

Mor Ignatius calls it, 'Medicine of immortality.' Mor Aphrem,
the Syrian calls it, 'Touching fire and Holy Spirit.' St John
Chrysostom says, 'This is the divine food of fraternity. We
partake with the Lord when we partake in this divine food.
Keeping away from this divine meal would tantamount to keeping
away from the Lord.'

Holy Eucharist is the great festivity and
celebration where our Lord's birth, public ministry, passion,
crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, Second
Advent and banquet with Him in eternity are commemorated. It is
imperishable food for the journey to the kingdom of heaven.

It is our central act of worship and sacrament of
sacraments. It is the perfection of all other sacraments. St
James, half-brother of our Lord and the first bishop of
Jerusalem, was the first to conduct it and form a written
liturgy in AD 37. Syrian Orthodox Church has a wealth of about
80 liturgies. All the liturgies are based on St James liturgy
but nevertheless St James liturgy is the finest, the first and
the most important of all.

Over the course of centuries, there arose in Christendom
diametrically opposed views negating and diminishing value of
Holy Qurbono, among various other things, whether or not the
consecrated bread and Wine are truly body and blood of Jesus
Christ. It is too voluminous and unnecessary to deal with
various views about it in detail. But faithful ought to know
major different views, which form the fundamental aspect of
church and Christian-unity.

Roman and Orthodox Churches hold in common that the
consecrated Bread and Wine are real body and blood of Jesus
Christ and yet there is sharp difference. Romans believe what
they call, 'Transubstantiation.' Physical and chemical
properties of the elements effect material change from bread to
flesh and wine to blood according to this theory. We believe
real, mystical and invisible presence of Jesus Christ in the
consecrated elements. The consecrated Eucharistic elements are
real flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, which is mystery but not
by transubstantiation. This fact is evident in the prayer of
invitation to Holy Spirit (Kroithod'rooho kaadeeso), 'Holy
Spirit from the topmost heights of heaven takes wings and
descends and broods and rest upon the Eucharist here present and
hallows it.' The action of brooding and resting should be
understood in the context of a mother hen brooding over its egg.
The intimate contact of brooding transmits slowly; regularly and
gradually the heat from the mother hen into the egg and as a
result growth takes place in the egg. Similarly due to
indwelling power of Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine they
convert themselves as flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Such
change is invisible to our finite senses and yet what in the
chalice is no more mere bread but the Holy body of Jesus Christ
and what in the cup is no more mere wine but real blood of Jesus
Christ. Reverence we show to them is the same that we show to
the real person of Christ. When Jews doubted as to 'how we can
eat His flesh and drink His blood' Jesus Christ reiterated that,
'My flesh is truly bread and my blood is truly drink.'

Medieval reformation championed by Luther brought about
all modern schisms and Eucharist is no exception and this
greatest tragedy torn apart the Christendom ever since. Luther
however strongly believed that the Eucharist is real event. The
elements do not undergo change but when it is given Christ comes
simultaneously to the recipient. Zwingli taught that Jesus broke
the bread as a sign of his imminent death. 'Lord's Supper was
simply memorial of His death, pledge of allegiance to Savior and
proclamation to salvation.' Church of England follows Zwingli's
concept of Eucharist. Karlstadt thought that Jesus was pointing
to Himself when He said, 'This is my Body...' He celebrated Mass
in ordinary clothes, without consecration prayer using edited
liturgy in tune with the suggestions of Wycliffe and to the
utter disappointment to Luther. Calvin disagreed and taught the
Lord's Supper was a real event having only the spiritual
presence of Christ. He could not assimilate the idea of
degrading the glorious body of Christ into earthly elements. He
did not understand the mystery of incarnation of Logos into womb
of an earthly being and lived a real life as one of us. Contrary
to what Augustine said, earthly elements are not vile in
themselves. Grebel, progenitor of adult/faith baptism, took a
position that anyone who so wishes can break 'one bread' in
remembrance of the Savior.

European reformation had its dastardly influence on the
ancient and authentic Syrian Church in Malankara and it paid
heavy toll. We have today offshoot of every denomination born in
Europe and America out of extreme individualism and in utter
defiance to the apostolic faith. 'Marthomaites' merits special
mention. They have the same liturgy, including invocation to
Holy Spirit as we have, but say that Eucharist is only
remembrance. Innocent and unaware laity receives consecrated
Eucharistic elements as real flesh and blood. Certain bishop
admitted in Court that both concepts prevail in the church! They
have infant baptism but do not believe in regeneration that
takes place in baptism! Priests like 'achan' but not 'Father'
title! Certain bishop admitted that prayer for the departed is
biblical but taught against it in the church! How
self-contradictions go together, God Knows!

See Also:

A Brief
Introduction to the Holy Qurbana (The Liturgy of St. James)
The Liturgy envisages a cosmic worship, involving the heavenly hosts, all of
creation, and the Church constituting of all its believers, those who have
departed, the living and those yet to come. The worship has, as its model, the
worship of God in heaven. And to create this effect, the
Church uses physical gestures, the use of incense and the beautifully
embroidered altar covering and vestments of the celebrant. Along with its
simplicity and brevity, this liturgy remains one of the most beautiful
expressions of worship in all of Christianity.

The Principles Of
Orthodox Worship
Ten principles of the orthodox worship are described. Orthodox
worship is complete and is designed to invoke the whole human being
(mind, body and spirit) and the five senses. It also has a strong
biblical basis.